The Ability of Activity and Cognition in Old Mice to Predict Age of Death

The goal of this study was to determine if measures of healthspan, which have been shown to decline with age, are associated with and predict mortality. We measured voluntary running activity, spontaneous activity, and cognition in male and female C57BL/6 mice at 26- to 28-months of age followed by analysis of the survival of each mouse. Voluntary running activity was positively associated with age at death in both male and female mice; however, only 14 to 21% of the variance in lifespan was explained by running wheel performance. In contrast, cognitive parameters assessed during a working memory paradigm were not predictive of lifespan, despite a negative correlation with day-time activity, suggesting an important relationship between quality of sleep and cognition. Finally, using a multiple regression model to identify the best predictors of longevity we found that a combination of various independent variables of activity and cognition predicted 55% and 21% of the lifespan of female and male mice, respectively. These data highlight the importance of movement parameters and day-time activity in mice that influence healthspan and lifespan.